seddon



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. C. SBDDON. SAFETY PERCUSSION EUSE.

No. 521,129. Patented June 5, 1894.`

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E Effi@ H. G. SEDDON. TY PB No. 521,129. Patented June 5, 1894.

(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4. H, C. SEDDON. SAFETY PERCUSSION FUSE.

No. 521,129. Patented June 5, 1894.

Wfb'hesses. VQ S inv/6h50?! ilNrrnn dramas HENRY COOPER sEoDON, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

SAFETY FERC 1892, No. 22,992,) which improvementis fully* setforth in the following specification.

The object of my invention is to producea safety percussion fuse that will.V be self-acting and very sensitive, but not liable to de` tonate until the projectile to which it is applied has been suddenly checked in its flight after quitting the bore of the gun. For this purpose according to my inyention, forward movement of the detonating plunger or pellet is .prevented oy means of a piece or pieces of some suitable hard substance, metal balls by preference, retained in place until released by the freeing and setting back of a gas tight stopper or cover that is normally attached to or closesthe base of the fuse but i's adapted to be unfastened therefrom by the action upon the fastening device of the gases within the bore of the gun after leaving which the said gas tight stopper or coveris relieved from the gas pressure so that it may be set back'V or retired to free the piece or pieces of hard Y substance that would otherwise oppose' the forward movement ot the detonating plunger in relation to the body of the fuse on sudden checking of the Hight of the projectile. Any suitable means (for example, springs) may be employed if desired, to insure the necessary setting back or retirement Ot' the gas tight stopper or cover. With the constructions of fuses hereinafter described no such special means for this purpose are considered necessary though they may be added if desired.

ln order to prevent the creeping forward of the detonating plunger during the flight 'of the projectile, the saidplungeris constructed with parts adapted to serve as friction pieces against the inside wall of the plunger-chamber during the rotary motion f the projectile, but to move forward with the detonating plllgrwheu the projectile has been sud' v P Y body of thevfuse and formin'gtheforward end denly checked in its tlight.- In order that the detonating plunger may easily advance when the flight ot'` the projectile is suddenly checked the detonating plunger is in some cases provided with axial ex' UssloN-Fuss.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,129, dated June 5, 1894. Application filed February 9.1894. kSerial No. 499,673. (No model.) Patented in England December 14, 1892.11.10.

.tensions or ends mounted in holes thatserve astore and aft bearings in such wise that the circumference of the main body of the detonating plunger is kept out of actual contact with the wall of its containing chamber.

ings may be dispensed with.

It will be understood that in a fuse constructed with agas tight stopper or cover vention, the pressure in the gun tends to increase and preserve the safety ot the fuse against premature explosion.

inthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 and partly in elevation,to an enlarged scale, a percussion fuse constructed according to this invention, the section being taken on the line A--A of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a similar View showing the position of the parts dur- `1ng the iiight of the projectile. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the base end thereof. Figse, 4, 5 and 6 are cross sections on the lines (1 -a, b'b, c- .c, and dd, respectively of Fig.- 1. Figs. .7 and 8 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2`ot` a modified construction. Fig. 9 isacentral longitudinal section of another modification, and Fig. 10 isa central longitudinal sectio/n of still another modification. Y

K'The body of the `fuse, which Imay advantageously be made `of manganese bronze, consists of an externally screw-threaded portion 1 adapted to be screwed into the base of a projectile, and an enlarged 'base 'portion 2 against a corresponding shoulder in the base of the projectile and thereby assist in taking fuse. n

Internally thebody of the fuse is formed with two chambers, namely, a\ cylindrical,

a wall or diaphragm Gsthrough which a series .of air holes 7 is formed. y

8 is a centrally perforated Vmetalfdisk or plate screwed into the -forward'end of the wall of the plunger chamber'.l l v The detouating plunger, which'may'advaus The fore bearing and vin some cases both bearshows partly in central longitudinal section the pressure of the gasupon the base of the' tageonslybemade of Muntz metal, comprises aV piu 9 formed with threey collars 10,110 andlOb,

adapted to be released according to my inhaving a conical shoulder o adapted to bear plunger chamber 4, anda conical ball chaml .ber 5, these two chambers being separated by" IOO the former one 10,beingmade of small size so as to form a distance piece to prevent the plunger setting back and closing the air holes 7 in the diaphragm 6,and thetwolatter beingarranged at a suitable distance apart so as to form an annular space for the reception of a friction device,`and being ofsuch adiameter as to just run clear of theinnerside of the plun r chamber. The ends of the pin t) are carr d and guided by' the diaphragm 0 and disk or plate 8, and are made of cylindrical form in order that the plunger may have greater freedom of movement, than otherwise, in an endwise direction,when subjected toa transverse blow caused by a graze contact.. The rear or tail end of the said pin is formed with an annular groo-ve 1l of circular shape in cross-section and its forward end'is provided witha firing needle 12 that may be of steel. The friction device between the collars 10a and 10"' consists, in the eiample shown, of, a loose metal ring 13 made in two halves that can fly apart under the, action of centrifugal force during the Hight of the projectile to which the fuse is attached, and bear with more or less force, according to their weight, against the inner side of the plunger chamber, and thereby prevent any forward movement of the plunger during flight, but on the projectile receiving the slightest check they will slide forward and add their momentum to that of the detonating plunger and thereby insure the effective action of the latter.

14, 14 are balls arranged within the chamber 5 and adapted to t into the groove l1 in the tail end of the pin 9 so as to prevent the detonating plunger moving forward until after the projectile has been fired. The fore end of the ball chamber may advantageously be made slightly concave, as shown, so that the balls will tend to assemble around and tit in to the groove in the tail end of the pin 9 when vertical or ap proximatelyso. The balls, which may a lvai'itageously be iliade ofA manganese bronze or nickeled steel, are normally held in place in the groove 11 by a conical stopper-or cover 15 (hereinafter called a stepper) that tits gas tight within the rearward extension of the conical ball chamber and is recessed at its fore end to receive the tail end of the pin 9, but without touching it and also to surround the series of balls 14 sufficiently to retain them in the groove 1l,as shown. 'The said stopper is normally attached by its rim 15n to the base 2 by fastening screws 17 of which'there are three in the example shown. The head of each of these screws is located within a hole 18 in the said rim so as to be protected against accidental blows; the thickness of the port-ion' 15b of metal forming the bottom of the said hole against which the head of the screw rests, and the length and depth of the screw thread 10 are so related that the said portion of metal will be sheared and the screw'thread stripped by the gas pressure, acting on the head when the'gun is fired. To receive the sheared portions of metal 151J and the screw heads, there are formed in the base cylindrical recesses 19, each coaxial with but of slightly larger diameter than the corresponding hole 1S and there are cavities 15)" to receive the'euds of the stripped screws when driven forward by the gas pressure upon the screw head. To assist the shearing action above referred to annular grooves or nicks may be formed at 15C.

20, 2O are cheek screws that may be employed to prevent the stopper becoming disconnected from the fnse when it moves back to free the balls 14C. Each check screw is made with a head that is partly formed with a screw thread and is partly conical; also with a plain stem having its free end enlarged-and formed with a screw thread which is screwed through a screw threaded hole 2l into a cavity 22 sufficiently far to afterward -allow ofthe desired rearward movement of the stopper which will be arrested by the enlarged inner parts of the screws coming into contact with the rear end walls of the cavitics 22.

It will be understood thatthe heads ofthe screws are screwed into the screw holes formed in the rim 15fL of the stopper to reeeive them as shown` the conical parts extending also into cavities formed in the base. By extending the heads of the check screws into the base, as shown, twisting of the stopper and rim is also obviated. On opposite Sides of the rim are .slots 2S arranged in line with corresponc'ling slots formed in the base of the fuse so as to permit of a suitable key or span ner being inserted into the latter slots for the purpose of screwing the fuse into the base of a projectile.

24 is a screw plug or closure screwed into the forward end of the body of the fuse. It is formed with a powder or detonating chamber 25 closed by a centrally perforated disk or plate 2G in which is achamberor recess 27 to receive the detonating cap which is held in place by a ring 28 screwed into the said disk or plate.

In order to render the forward end or closure of the detonating chamber water-tight, while at the same time enabling passages to be readily formed therethrough on the occurrence of the explosion within the said chamber, I form the said plug or closure, with one or more holes 2in extending from the inner su rface thereofl partly but not entirely through the thickness of the closure, leaving a sufficient thickness of material to form an ellicicnt water-tight closure without offering undue resistance on the occurrence of the explosion.

If the detonating chamber is keptseparate from the body of the fuse, the rear end of the latter canbe closed by a water tight disk, plug, or other suitable device. It isoftenrdesirable to thus separate the parts when the fuse is not likely to be required for im mediate use.

The action ofthe fuse hereiubefore de l the stopper 15 which however scribed is as follows: On discharging the gun containing a projectile fitted with such a fuse the fastening screws 17 are driven inward, shearing the thin portions of metal 15", stripping the screw threads 19a and freeing is held tightly in place by the gas pressurefuntil the project` ile has left the gun. During the flight of the projectile a partial vacuum is formed 'at its base. This causes the air within the fuse to expand and assist in pushing the stopper back, while the balls 14, holding the tail end of the/detcnating plunger, at once fly outward and assist in pushing the stopper rearward. Y The detonating plunger is then free 'to move forward, but is checked during liight by the two halves of the centrifugal ring 13 clinging to the inner surface of the plunger chamber. @n graze or impact of the projectile, the centrifugal ring moves forward .with the body of the plunger and causes the firing needle 12 to strike the detonating cap, thus firing the fine-grained powder in the detonating chamber, which, in exploding bursts through the thin metal at the outer ends of the recesses Se and fires the projectile.

ln the modified construction of fuse shown in Figs. 7 and 8, which are similar views to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, the conical gas tight stopper 15 is providedl at its outer side with a central pin 15C, and is normally held in place, so to retain the centrifugal balls 14 in the groove 11, by a disk shaped pressure plate 29. -This pressure plate, which may be of brass, is niade with a central recess 20 on its inner face to receive the pin 15 on the stopper, and is held in place by a base plug l30. This plug, which may be made of manganese bronze, is screwed into the base 2 of the fuse, and is formed with longitudinal holes 31, and it may be also with lateral holes 31 running into the enlarged inner portion of the central hole 31 communicating with a circular recess 32, in order to allow the gas pressure produced in the gun, from which the project-ile is fired, to act upon the pressure plate 2f). one or both ends, with suitable waterproof material to render the base plug both air and water tight. Or the inner ends of the said holes may be closed, for the purpose mentioned, by a dislt 32l of metal, forced into the 'circular recess 32 on the inner side of the base plug 30.

33 is a cup shaped gas check. It is formed of thin metal, such as sheet copper, with a central hole to lit over thepin 15 on the stopper, and is arranged to be driven home against the stopper by the pressure plate. This gas check affords an additional precaution against the stopper 15 moving back prematurely, but its use is not considered essential. When it is used, the pressure plate, instead of being merely recessed at 29 so asto leave a thin portion of metal at 29 to be sheared through by the pin 15 when the pressure plate is forced inward by the gas pressure, may be -vex in cross section as shown.

The said holes may be covered, at

perforated so that when it is forced inwardit 'passes freely over the pin, in which case I should further raise the central portion of the gas check suiiicientl y to allow the central portion of the pressure plate to take a bearing on it. I prefer however, for the sake of 'greater safety,to only recess the said pressure plate as shown. The base 2 of thismodified construction of fuse is shown as formed with a square shoulder at 3 to receive a lead or other soft metal gas ring 3, but it may be formed with a conical shoulder as in the first example, if preferred. The action of this modified construction of fuse is as followsz On discharginfr the gun, the gas pressure passing through t-ne holes 31 and 31n in the base plug 30, drives the pressure plate 29 down on to the head of the conical stopper 15, shearing out the portion 29h, and at the same time forcingthe gas check 33, if used, tight down onto the head of the stopper and outward against the sides of the conical chamber, so leaving room for the stopper to set hack. After the projectile has left the gun, the setting back of the stopper, the bringing into action "of the friction device 13, and the subsequent moving forward of the plunger and firing of the projectile, take place in the manner here` inbefore explained with reference to the construction of fuse shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive.

The plunger chamber e instead vof being made cylindrical, as in the examples hereinbefore described, may be made slightly conical as shown in central longitudinal section in Fig. 9 so as to assist in preventing premature movement of the plunger during flight and the outer periphery of the divided friction ring 13 may, in that case be made con- The same object may be attained by dishing or recessing that part only of the wall of the plunger chamber against which the cent1-if ugal blocks are liable to press before the forward movement of the plunger, as indicated in Fig. 10.

In Fig. 10 which illustrates a construction resembling that shown in Fig. 7, the axial bearings of the plunger are dispensed with and its forward movementL during flight is prevented by the outward pressure of balls 13 (instead of ring 13 as heretofore described) which impinge against the wall of the plunger chamber. To aio rd additional resistance `the wall may be curved, inclined or indented as indicated. In' this ligure the plung 4r is locked in position bythe conicalstopperrpreventing any backing movement, whil any forward movement is prevented by the flat- IOO IIC'

tened end of the pin t), which engages a plug 30e for closing the passage to the d'etonating cap. After the projectile has left the gun the rearward movement of the plunger releases the plug SOallowing it to drop away from the opening 28.

Fusesconstructed as hereinbefore described possess many important practical advantages. They will withstand the roughcst usage with practically imperishable.

. of the gases of explosion in the'gumwhereby; the plunger is locked in place after the-fastening devices have beenruptured by the eztvrupturable fastening devices securing saidl gun, substantially as described.

safety. Premature explosion in a gun, even should the projectile be checked in its passage through -the bore, is rendered impossible, as also is premature explosion during the flight of the projectile. They will act on the slight graze of theprojectile against an object outside of the gun. They are applicable to various classes of projectiles, `including quick ring ammunition, and also to various types of guns, whether using quick or slow burning explosives. Theyadmitof projectilesin which i they are fixed being carried about ready fused with perfect safety, and are less liable than ordinary fuses, as heretofore constructed, 4to

deteriorate by storage, owing to their being completely air and water tight, thus being Their detonating cap and powder chambers being formed in a detachable plug, need not becharged until required for use. Furthermore they are siniple in construction and therefore comparatively cheap to make.

It is to be remarked that in the construction of fuses according to myinvention,some of myimprovernents may be adopted without the others. i

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim isl. In a percussion fuse, the combinationV with the detonating plunger, a securing de-l vice for normally preventing movement thereof, and a connection between the securing device and the body of the fuse, said connection beingdestroyed upon the tiring of the gun, the securing device being held in lplace while the projectile remains in the-gun bythe pressure of the gas therein,,substantially as described.

2. In a percussion fuse the combination with the denonating plunger, of a plate or lid holding said plunger against forwardfmovernent,

plate or lid to thebody of the fuse, said plate or lid being adapted to receive the pressure plosion and until the projectile hastleft the 3. In a percussion fuse the combination with the detonating plunger, of a base lid secured by rupturable fastening devices to the body of the fuse, and a centrifugal ball or balls engaging and holdingthe plunger againstfo'rward movement, said ball or balls being held in engagement with the plunger by the basel lid, substantially as described.

4. In ai percussion fuse, the combination l with the detonating plunger, of the base lid, the centrifugal ball or balls cooperating therewith to hold the plunger against forward movement, the fastening" screws engaging against a rupturable portion of' the lid, and

the check screws' or devicesl for preventing the lid from being entirely detached from the fuse, substantially as described.

`5. In a percussion fuse, the combination with the detonating plunger having at the rear end a recessed pin, of balls fitting in said recess and holding the plunger stationary, a lid or stopper having a recess at the center gripping and lockingthe balls in place, rupturable fastening devices securing the lid or cover to the body of the fuse but adapted by the force of the explosion to release the same, and means for preventing the lid or cover from being wholly detached from the fuse, substantially as described.

6.' In a percussion fuse the combination with the body of the fuse, having an interior airtight chamber, a detonating plunger, and a stopper or cover for the air-tight chamber holding said plunger normally immovable, said stopper being movable outwardly by the air pressure within the chamber during the flight of the projectile, thereby releasing the detonating plunger, substantially as described.

7. In a percussion fuse the combination with the bodyof the fuse, havingan air-tight chamber, a detonating plunger, one or more movable bodies engaging with and preventing the movement of said plunger, and a cover or stopper for the air-tight chamber normally retaining said movable body or bodies in engage- 'fnent with the plunger said cover or stopper being atthe base of the projectile, so that the vacuum on its outside due to the movement of the projectile permits the air-pressure in said chamber to force or assist in forcing the cover -orstopper away 'from the body of the fuse, substantially as, described.

'8. In alpercussionfuse the combination with the body ofthe fuse,l1aving an air-tight chamber, a detonating plunger, a pin or projection thereon provided with arecess therein, centri-fugal'balls or equivalent bodies engaging in said groove or recess -andpreventing the movement of the plunger, a stopper or ,cover for the air-tight chamber'ho'lding the balls in" engagement with the said pin.saidcover being moved outwardly and thereby releasing `the balla-by theV pre'ssureof 'the air in the chamber during the 'flightofv the projectile, thus'allowing the centrifugal action of the latter to throw the balls away Afrom engagement with the groove or' recess in the'pin,substan tially as described.

` 9. In a percussion fuse the combination with.y

rio`

longer-opposes the forward movement of the plunger after the projectile has left: the gun, substantially' as described.

10. In a percussion fuse the combination with the chambered body, ot' a detonating plunger therein, and a friet-ion device having a large contactsurfaee adapted to be. engaged with the wall of the chamber by the centrifugal action of the projectile, for Apreventing,r movement of the plunger during the flight of the latter, substantially as described.

5' ll. In a percussion fuse the combination Jwith a chambered block, of a detonating plunger thereing'means for holding said plunger out of contact with the walls of the chamber, and a friction device carried by said plun- :o ger and actuated by the centrifugal act-ion of the projectile to prevent forward movement of the plunger during*I the Hight of the latter,

substantially as described.

12. In a percussion fuse the combination :5 With the detonating plunger, a securing device for preventing movement thereof until the projectile has left the gun and a friction device operating by centrifugal force for preventing'movement thereof, until the flight of o the projectile is arrested or checked, substantially as described.

13. In a percussion. fuse, the combination with thedetonating plunger, of ltwo sets of centrifugal acting devices, the first being im- 5-pelled by centrifugal action away from the i plunger Vthereby releasing* or no longer oppos- Aor both ends of which may rest in suitable 35 bearings in such a way that the circumference of the main body of the plungeris partly or wholly kept out of actual contact with the wall of its containing chamber, and a centrifugal acting friction device forhclding tho 4o plunger against forward movement until thc flight of the projectile is checked, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrit 45 ing witnesses.

HENRY COGPER SEDDON. Witnesses:

F. B. POLLARD, E. C. MERSEN. 

